Railway refrigerator car door



, FIG.I

May 29, 1956 T. c. SODDY 2,

v RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR Filed April 8,1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 3 "1%.. Y 111%! 6 J 17 J g INVENTOR.

FlC.'- 3 FIG 4 /6 BY g M y 29, 956 T. c. SODDY 2,747,239

RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR Filed April 8, 1955 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 j 5 20% 1- l4 9 35 37 L 54 JZ FIG.5 36 33 24 9 INVEN TOR.

Z4 w H BY 65' A5 67 I F|G.9

United States Fatent O RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR Thomas C. Soddy, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 8, 1953, Serial No. 347,471

12 Claims. (Cl. 20-23) This invention relates in general to sliding door for railway refrigerator cars and, more particularly, to means for effecting leverage closure and opening thereof.

The main object of this invention is to provide a railway car sliding refrigerator door with a system of levers for developing the necessary mechanical advantage to tightly wedge the door laterally of the car into closed position and to overcome the resistance to opening of a closed door.

Another object is to provide a single starting and looking member for a plurality of operating shafts whereby none of such shafts may be accidentally freed for rotation independently of any other.

A further object is to provide a sliding door operating and locking means which is adapted to reliably maintain the door locked in closed position; and to permit effective and facile opening thereof; which may be applied to existing door structures of this type without substantial modification thereof; and which may be economically manufactured.

These and other detailed objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a refrigerator car door in locked condition and incorporating the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the car door in unlocked condition.

Figure 3 is a transverse horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a transvrse horizontal section taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a transverse horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a transverse horizontal section taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 1, showing the door partially open.

Figure 7 is a transverse horizontal section taken sub,- stantially on line 55 of Figure 1 showing the door half open.

Figure 8 is a transverse horizontal section taken on the line 88 of Figure 2.

Figure 9 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 10-40 of Figure 2.

In the drawings, 1 designates the side wall of a car, designed preferably for refrigeration purposes, provided with a door opening 2, closed by a sliding door 3. The meeting edges of door 3 and opening 2 are rabbeted and resilient air-sealing material is applied to the door edges. Door 3 has mounted upon its exterior face a pair of spaced, parallel, vertically disposed operating shafts 4, 5, each being journaled at their upper and lower ends in bearing brackets 6, 7 on door 3 and each mounting on their opposite ends cranks 8, 9. Upper cranks 8 have spindles mounting pairs of slides 10 and lower cranks 9 have spindles mounting carriers 11 which journal rollers 2,741,239 Patented May 29, 1956 ICC 12, whereby said door 3 may he slid along top and bottom tracks 13, 14 mounted on the side wall 1.

Carriers 11 are provided with screws 15 for adjusting the height of the crank spindles therein. Each of the bearing brackets 6, 7 incorporates a cut-away portion 16 to present outer and inner stop faces 17, 18 (see Figures 3, 4) for abutting lugs 19 projecting radially from each shaft 4, 5 to limit the rotation thereof. Mounted on wall 1 adjacent tracks 13, 14 are upper and lower contact members 21, 22, engageable by lugs 23, 24 on slides 10 and carriers 11.

Fixed on each shaft 4, 5 is a collar 25 having a serrated upper face. Associated with each collar 25 is a cooperating collar 26 having a serrated lower face. Nuts 27 may be tightened to lock the associated collars together. When nuts 27 are loosened, collars 26 may be adjusted angularly relative to collars 25. Each collar 26 has a hinge butt 28 to which are pivoted starting levers 32, 33. Each of these levers may be swung through a vertical arc of about between pendant position, as shown in Figure 2, and horizontal position, as shown in Figure l.

Levers 32, 33 are of such length that when disposed horizontally and extending towards each other against the outer face of the door, their outer ends will be spaced from each other. Guide brackets 34, 35 on the door 3 support levers 32, 33 in these positions.

The outer end of lever 32 pivots a starting and looking lever 36 carrying a cam follower 37 upon the end of its shorter arm for engaging a cam 38 on the door, substantially intermediate shafts 4, 5 and having an operating surface with a straight portion 39 substantially parallel to the door and having a rounded pocket-shaped section 40. Depending from lever 36 on the opposite side of its pivot from cam follower 37 is cam follower 41 for engagement with a semi-circular cam 42 on the enlarged outer end of lever 33. The other arm of lever 36 forms an operating handle which swings over lever 33, when the mechanism is in locked position (Figure l), and is received in a supporting and sealing latch 45.

The operation of the above described mechanism is as follows: Assuming door 3 is in closed and locked position (Figures 1 and 5) with levers 32, 33 and 36 resting upon guides 34, 35 and latch 45 and in substantial alignment, cam followers 37, 41 will engage the rounded operating surfaces of their respective cams 38, 42. Cranks 8, 9 will be substantially parallel to door 3 (Figure 5). Door 3 will be firmly wedged within opening 2 with air stripping material 20 compressed for effective sealing. The snug wedging of door 3 creates a resistance to opening which should be overcome in the opening operation with minimum effort by the operator. Lever 36 provides the means to develop the requisite mechanical advantage for surmounting this resistance.

To open door 3, lever 36 is disengaged from latch 45 and swung outwardly with the engagement between cam follower 41 and cam 42 causing lever 33 to swing outwardly therewith until such engagement is broken, as indicated in Figure 6. Thus, lever 36 initiates the operation of lever 33 with consequent rotation of shaft 5 sufficiently to cause the adjacent side of door 3 to move partially outwardly. Since lever 33 is carried by lever 36 through a greater angle than that of lever 32 upon initial action of lever 36, the right hand portion of the door will be opened (Figure 6) slightly further than the left hand portion. This inclination of the door reduces the resistance to door opening movement, although an arrangement can be made to allow both edges to move out simultaneously.

As lever 36 is swung outwardly, cam follower 37 moves from pocket section 40 and along surface 39 (Figure 6) of cam 38 until contact is lost by continued swinging of lever 36. Levers 32, 33 may then be swung outwardly, manually and together or separately, to rotate their operating shafts 4, 5 until lugs 19 engage stop faces 17 of brackets 6, 7, at which point cranks 8, 9 will be substantially normal to the door '(Figures 8, 10) which will be moved to the right from opening 2 for travel along tracks 13, 14 to clear the door opening. Levers 32, 33, when released, will drop downwardly into the positions shown in Figure 2 with lever 36 being engaged by a toggle 46 to hold it to lever 32.

When it is desired to close the door, the same is moved to the left along tracks 13, 14 until lugs 23, 24 engage contact members 21, 22 respectively when the door 3 is in alignment with opening 2 and positioned for inward movement. The operator then swings levers 32, 33 upwardly and horizontally toward each other to rotate shafts 4, 5 for return swinging of cranks 8, 9 with consequent movement of the door into opening 2. Lever 36, being released from toggle 46, is positioned for engagement of cam followers 37, 41 with cams 38, 42 respectively. Thereupon, lever 36 is swung toward the door with cam follower 41 and cam 42 causing lever 33 to be brought into parallel relation with the door for completing rotation of shaft 5. Simultaneously, cam follower 37 will be moved along surface 39 and into pocket section 40 of cam 38 as lever 36 is fulcrumed about its pivot into locked engagement with latch 45. By the action of lever 36 just described, the door will be wedged snugly within opening 2 with air stripping material in compressed sealing condition (Figure 5).

The operation of lever 36 provides the necessary ruechanical advantage for overcoming the resistance to opening of the tightly wedged door by starting the levers 32, 33 in their opening swinging movement and lever 36 by its reciprocal action assures that the door will be returned tightly within opening 2. The lever system of this invention could be readily applied to existing sliding door constructions without extensive modification and is a reliable and economical mechanism for accomplishing the in-' tended purposes.

The details of construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a door construction for a refrigerator car having a wall provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening of means for supporting the door and moving the same bodily laterally into and from said opening, comprising a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts journaled on the door and having cranks arranged for support at their outer ends on the car wall, a hand lever on each of said shafts for rotating the same, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the end portion of one of said hand levers, and elements on the end portion of the other hand lever and on the door at a point on the latter intermediate said shafts and adapted to be engaged by the end portion of said operating lever to actuate both of said hand levers in final closing and initial opening movements of the door.

2. In a door construction for a refrigerator car having a Wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with adoor adapted to close said opening of means for supporting the door and moving same bodily laterally into and from said opening comprising a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts journaled on the door and having cranks adapted for support at their outer ends on the car wall, a hand lever mounted on each of said shafts for rotating same, a starting and locking lever pivoted on the end portion of one of said hand levers, a cam provided on the end portion of the other of said hand levers, and a cam following member carried by said starting and locking lever for engaging said cam for move: ment of its associated hand lever with said operating, lever during door-closing and door-opening operation.

3. In a door construction for a refrigerator car having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening of means for supporting the door and moving the same bodily laterally into and from said opening, including a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts having supporting cranks, a hand lever mounted on each of said shafts for rotation thereof, an operating lever swingably mounted on the end of one of said hand levers, a cam formed on the end of the other of said hand levers, and a cam follower carried on said operating lever for engagement within said cam during door-closing and door-opening operation, whereby both hand levers will be moved with consequent rotation of their respective shafts by operation of the operating lever in door-closing and door-opening position.

4. In a door construction for a refrigerator car having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening of means for supporting the door and moving same bodily laterally into and from said opening, including a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts having supporting crank means thereon, a hand lever mounted on each of said shafts for rotation thereof, an operating lever swingably mounted on one of said hand levers, first cooperating cam members on the door and on said operating lever, and second cooperating cam members on the other of said hand levers and the operating lever.

5. In a door construction for a refrigerator car having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening of means for supporting the door and moving same bodily laterally into and from said opening, including a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts having supporting crank means thereon, a hand lever mounted on each of' said shafts for facilitating rotation thereof, an operating lever swingably mounted on one of said hand levers, a first cup-like cam mounted on said door, a second cup-like cam formed on the other of said hand levers, and cam followers carried by said operating lever and insertible within said cams respectively for wedging the door closed and maintaining the door closed.

6. An operating mechanism for a refrigerator car door adapted for closing movement into, and opening movement from, an opening provided in a wall of the car. comprising a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts rotatably journaled on the door, swinging crank members mounted on the opposite ends of said shafts, a hand lever carried by each shaft for rotation thereof, moans limiting the rotation of said shafts, an operating lever pivotally mounted on one of said hand levers and movable therewith, and cooperating cam members on said opcrating lever and the other of said hand levers for shifting said hand levers by said operating lever during final closing and initial opening of the door.

7. An operating mechanism for a refrigerator car door adapted for closing movement into, and opening move ment from, an opening provided in a wall of the car, comprising a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts rotatably journaled on the door, swinging crank members mounted on the opposite ends of said shafts, a hand lever carried by each shaft for movement toward and away from said door to rotate the shaft, an operating lever having a pivotal mounting adjacent one of its ends on one of said hand levers for movement in substantially the same plane as said hand levers during door opening and closing, the other end of said operating lever forming a handle, a cam provided on the end of the other of said hand levers, a cam follower mounted on said operating lever adjacent its pivotal mounting for engagement with said cam whereby the latter-mentioned hand lever may be moved toward and away from the door with consequent rotation of its related shaft by the operating lever.

8. An operating mechanism for a refrigerator car door adapted for closing movement into, and opening movement from, an opening provided in a wall of the car, comprising a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts rotatably journaled on the door, crank members on the opposite ends of said shaft, a hand lever carried by each shaft for movement toward and away from said door to rotate the shaft, an operating lever pivoted adjacent one of its ends on one of said hand levers for movement in substantially the same plane as said hand levers during door opening and closing, the other end of said operating lever forming a handle, a cam on the end of the other of said hand levers, a cam follower on said operating lever adjacent its pivot for engagement with said cam, whereby the latter-mentioned hand lever may be moved toward and away from the door with consequent rotation of its related shaft by operation of the operating lever, said operating lever handle overriding the cam-bearing hand lever when the latter is positioned against the door, and latch means on the door engaging the free end of said operating lever when the door is closed.

9. An operating mechanism for a refrigerator car door adapted for closing movement into, and opening movement from, an opening provided in a wall of the car, comprising a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts rotatably journaled on the door, swinging crank members mounted on the opposite ends of each of said shafts, a hand lever carried by each shaft for movement towards and away from said door to rotate the shaft, the outer ends of said hand levers being spaced apart when at the limit of their movement toward said door, an operating lever pivotally mounted adjacent one of its ends on the outer end of one of said hand levers for movement in substantially the same plane as said hand levers, a first cam on the door, a second cam on the outer end of the other of said hand levers, cam followers carried by said operating lever adjacent its pivot for engagement with said first and second cams to maintain the hand levers locked in inward position, and latch means for engaging said operating lever with said hand levers locked in inward position.

10. An operating mechanism for a refrigerator car door for forcing same into tight engagement with the car door frame and for prying same open therefrom, comprising a door adapted for lateral movement relative to the frame, a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts journaled for rotation on the door, swinging crank members mounted on opposite ends of each shaft, a hand lever carried by each shaft for disposition normal to the shaft axis for rotation of the shaft to elfect door opening and closing, an operating lever pivoted on one of said hand levers, a first cam mounted on the door and projecting outwardly therefrom above the hand lever carrying said operating lever when said hand lever is in inward position, a second cam formed on the outer end of the other hand lever, cam followers mounted on said operating lever on opposite sides of its pivot for engagement within said first and second cams, respectively, whereby said levers form a toggle joint maintaining said hand levers in substantially axial alignment for snug closure of the door, the toggle being broken by movement of the hand levers outwardly from the door by swinging said operating lever outwardly from the door.

11. An operating mechanism for a refrigerator car door for forcing same into tight, closed position and for prying sarne open therefrom, comprising a door adapted for lateral movement into, and from, an opening provided in the car, a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts journaled on said door, swinging crank members on opposite ends of said shafts, a hand lever carried by each shaft for disposition normal thereto for rotation thereof to effect door opening and closing, said hand levers being swung inwardly toward the car and toward each other for door closing, an operating lever pivoted adjacent one of its ends on the outer end of one of said hand levers, the other end of said operating lever forming a handle, a first cam mounted on said door and projecting outwardly therefrom for immediate elevated relation to the outer end of the hand lever carrying said operating lever when said hand lever is in full inward swung position, a second cam provided on the outer end of the other hand lever, a first cam follower provided on the end of said operating lever adjacent its pivot for engagement within said first cam, a second cam follower mounted on said operating lever on the opposite side of its pivot from said first cam follower for engagement with said second cam whereby said hand levers may be maintained in full inwardly swung position in substantially axial alignment for snug door closure, said cams being so disposed with relation to each other that upon door-opening movement of said operating lever engagement will first be lost between said second cam and cam follower whereby the said other hand lever will have been initially rotated through a greater are for opening of its related side of the door in advance of the other side.

12. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall provided with a door opening, a door adapted for closing movement into, and opening movement from, said opening, a pair of vertically disposed operating shafts journaled on the door, swinging crank members mounted on opposite ends of said shafts, carrier members engaged to the cranks mounted on the lower ends of said shafts, rollers supported by said carrier members, a track mounted on the car for traverse by the rollers, a vertically extending adjustment screw engaged in each carrier member, a mounting collar disposed on each shaft and having upper and lower sections provided with serrations on their cooperating surfaces for engagement in desired relation to each other, and a hand lever carried by the upper section of each mounting collar for rotation of said shafts and being adjustable with relation thereto by relative positioning of the said upper and lower collar sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,083,708 Haseltine June 15, 1937 2,101,942 Haseltine Dec. 14, 1937 2,160,844 Dwyer June 6, 1939 2,204,753 Dwyer June 18, 1940 2,442,031 Beauchamp May 25, 1948 2,565,657 Haseltine Aug. 28, 1951 

